Eradication Day
by Xabiar
Summary: In order to prevent the escape of the presumed-dead Sith Lord Darth Jadus, Cipher Nine allows him to launch his attack against his enemies. Now the Empire must deal with the consequences of his actions.
1. Chapter 1

_Dromund Kaas: Imperial Control_

The analyst squinted at her readout. Still there, and approaching fast. "Sir!" she called out to the officer standing in the center of the room, datapad in hand, "Anomaly detected!"

On nearly every other world within the Empire, this would be no cause for alarm. As far as the Empire's reach was, it was incapable to detecting every single movement.

But this was _Dromund Kaas_.

This was the heart of the Sith Empire. This was where the Dark Council convened. This was where the headquarters of Imperial Intelligence were located. This was where the richest, the most influential and the most powerful beings in the galaxy congregated. Nothing happened without the Sith, Intelligence, or the Armada knowing about it. Anomalies simply didn't _exist_ on Dromund Kaas.

Until now it seemed.

An officer strode over, her face betraying nothing. "What do you have?" She asked.

The analyst pointed toward her screen which displayed the sector of space she observed. "Approximately three minutes ago there was a disturbance, much like when a ship drops out of hyperspace. I didn't remember any ships scheduled to arrive in this sector and checked the schedule."

"And?" the officer prompted.

The analyst shrugged, "Nothing outside of standard supply drops, and none of those were scheduled for the specific entry point. Regardless, when I went to check on the disturbance, it had vanished."

"So it wasn't a ship then." The officer stated, relaxing slightly.

"Unlikely," the analyst answered carefully, "it could be cloaked, but it takes at least a few minutes before even out best cloaking generators start working."

"Where is it now?" the officer asked, leaning over to look at the screen.

"I believe it is here," the analyst pointed to a section of the screen, the part that was slightly more illuminated than the rest of the display.

"How are you tracking it?"

"It's giving off a small heat signature, normally associated with engine propulsion."

The officer nodded slowly, bringing her hand up to her chin as she thought, "You don't believe that it is a ship yet say you are tracking its engine speed. That either means that it is a fighter with a hyperdrive or a satellite of some kind."

"It's unlikely to be a fighter, sir." The analyst offered, "The anomaly is moving too slowly to be a fighter or any kind of spacecraft outside of _Imperial_-class cruisers."

"A satellite then." the officer said slowly, "Good work. Whatever it is I'll let Armada Command know of it, I'm sure they can handle –"

"Sir! Anomaly detected!"

"What!" the officer spun around and strode towards another analyst who was gesturing frantically at his screen. "How are you tracking it?" she demanded as she walked up.

"Heat signatures sir!" he quickly responded, "Normally associated wi-"

"I _know_ what they are associated with, analyst!" she growled, then pointed at the display, "_Watch_ that, and let me know about any up-"

"Anomaly detected, sir!" another analyst called out. The officer swore and quickly strode over to the center of the room, where a hologram Dromund Kaas was display. She turned to face the room of analysts.

"All analysts who have detected anomalies upload real-time data to the central display, _now_!" She commanded. There were shouts of acknowledgement as she turned to face the display. In a few seconds three small red dots appeared across the planet displayed. Then four. Then six. As more dots appeared she felt an emotion she never expected to feel within the heart of the Empire.

Fear.

She couldn't deny it any longer. Dromund Kaas was under attack or it soon would be. She turned to her aide. "Get me the Minister of War."

* * *

_Dromund Kaas: The Sith Sanctum_

Darth Marr observed the glowing hologram of the Minister of War. The man seemed utterly composed from the outside, hands clasped behind his back, standing tall and looking into the emotionless mask that covered Marr's face. Though his composure would certainly falter if the Minister had come in person, Marr did have a sliver of respect for him. Few could look him in the eye and remain composed. "I trust you have a good reason for interrupting me." He demanded, putting just enough anger in his voice to make the Minister understand that he was annoyed.

"_Yes, my lord."_ The Minister answered, _"About fifteen minutes ago, Imperial Control observed a disturbing amount of anomalies approaching Dromund Kaas' atmosphere."_

Marr felt a surge of annoyance, was _this_ all of what the Minister had to say. "I assume that you have the situation under control. Is there anything else?" The Minister seemed caught off guard with the blatant dismissal.

"_My lord, I do not believe you understand the implications_." He stammered out, _"There is a high chance that Dromund Kaas will soon be attacked!"_ Marr observed the Minister, then reached out with the Force. The man felt _nervous. Afraid_. But not of the supposed attack, Marr realized, he was afraid of being _ignored._

_That _gave Marr pause. The Minister was certain that an attack was coming, Marr could sense that. But the very idea itself seemed preposterous.

Who would, or even _could_ attack Dromund Kaas?

"I sense you are certain." Marr finally relented, breaking the silence, "Very well, if you believe a threat exists what would you ask of me?"

For a second time the Minister seemed caught off-guard, though this time it was because Marr was being, well, generous. Marr had to remind himself that the Minister often spent time talking to Sith that simply used the Minister for their own power or forced cooperation by using pain or simple humiliation. Darth Jadus in particular had enjoyed terrorizing his minions. Marr considered it something of an accomplishment that the Minister of Intelligence was still sane after all the times he had spoken to Jadus.

Still, this was a matter that Jadus would have undertaken willingly. Marr had never seen any Sith take such an interest in the other stations of the Empire as Jadus had. They served their purpose. But in the end, they were just tools. Marr hadn't understood his motives then and now that Jadus was dead, still didn't understand them.

The Minister of War regained his voice. _"I have recalled several capital ships to the Kaas system. Warn the other Council members that Dromund Kaas may be attacked. The more we are prepared, the less damage will be caused." _

"Very well." Marr replied, "Eliminate this threat quickly." With that he cut the connection.

* * *

_Dromund Kaas: Imperial Intelligence Headquarters_

Watcher 3 walked up to Keeper, who was observing a massive hologram of Dromund Kaas, complete with red dots indicating anomalies. "Sir, some of the objects have entered the atmosphere." He reported tentatively, "Data from Imperial Control indicates that there are twenty-one of these objects. Armaments have not yet been determined." Keeper appeared not to have heard him, "Sir?" Watcher 3 prompted. Keeper sighed and turned toward the young Watcher. Watcher 3 put the datapad he was holding down and clasped his hands behind his back. "What are your orders?"

Keeper then noticed that everyone in the room was standing and waiting. He tried not to look as defeated as he felt. Unlike the rest of the Empire, everyone in this room had the knowledge that an attack could happen and they had done their best to prevent it.

Unfortunately, it seemed like it hadn't been good enough.

"We have to assume that Cipher Nine has failed."

That one statement was the hardest to get out. Within the past year, Cipher Nine had become quite possibly the best operative within the Empire. He'd nearly single-handedly destroyed terror cells on multiple worlds, secured alliances with various factions and faced scenarios that would break most people. He had become the best Imperial Intelligence had to offer and yet only a few within the Empire would know of his contributions.

But they had to move on, they had an Empire to defend.

"The Minister of War has recalled several capital ships to defend against this unknown attack. For now it seems as though this is a targeted attack on the capital but we cannot rule out the possibility of other planets coming under this attack."

"Is it the eradicators sir?" One voice asked. Keeper nodded to Watcher Three who answered.

"We believe so, we don't have a visual yet, though that will probably change within the minute."

"Everyone will be apprised of further developments." Keeper assured everyone, "I want to have visuals on the objects within the next few minutes as well as armaments."

"Do we have _nothing_ to defend the planet with?" Another voice called out incredulously.

"Nothing that can target objects this small." Keeper stated grimly, "The capital ships will arrive within the hour and will bring their full complement of fighters."

There were nods of acknowledgement as everyone in the room returned to work, all working at a furious pace. Keeper also turned to the hologram as he watched the red dots grow ever closer to the planet.

* * *

_Dromund Kaas: Imperial Control_

"We have a visual!" An analyst shouted out.

"Onscreen." The officer ordered, the hologram of the planet vanished and she turned her eyes upon the massive screen behind it. An image appeared on the screen. It was far away but everyone could see a basic shape. From what the officer could tell, it appeared to be mostly in the shape of a cylinder, the color was black. If she had to speculate, it seemed as though one end of the object was a main engine and the other was…well it had to contain a weapon of some kind. She also noted that it had small thrusters on the front end, possibly to reposition itself.

"It's stopped moving!" An analyst called out, "It's holding position over sector 12."

"Confirmed." Another called out, "Another holding position over sector 8."

"Do we know anything more about these objects?" the officer asked.

The analyst who had spotted the first anomaly answered, "It appears to be unmanned. It will likely have to wait for commands before it will do anything."

"How much longer until reinforcements arrive." The officer asked her aide.

"Forty-five minutes." He replied. She became increasingly nervous. A lot could happen within forty-five minutes. She brought the hologram of Dromund Kaas back up. All of the objects were now in the atmosphere and seemed to be holding position on various sectors.

"Do we have any other visuals?" She called out.

"Negative." Another analyst called out, "The storms are interfering with visual equipment." The officer clenched her fist. _Why,_ she thought, _did the Imperial Capital have to be a planet bombarded with storms and in a state of perpetual night?_

"Are they in range of our AA guns?" She asked, turning to the gunners who were manning the only means of defense the planet currently had.

The lead gunner shook his head, "Five meters outside the effective range of our best AA guns. Whoever programed them was smart, they knew our equipment."

"Could you get an accurate shot?" She demanded.

"Possibly," the gunner admitted, "Though it would take a good deal of –"

"Get started." She ordered, "We have _no_ means of defense at the moment, this is our best chance."

The gunner snapped off a salute, "At once, Sir!"

"Good." The officer nodded, turning to her aide she continued, "Now –"

"Energy buildup on the object over sector 41!" An analyst shouted.

Then the object fired.


	2. Chapter 2

_Dromund Kaas: Kaas City_

"Something is wrong." Lord Vauner muttered. It didn't make sense. Everyone was acting normal, Imperial citizen went about performing their daily duties. Likewise the soldiers and Sith that patrolled the streets were likewise acting normal.

But something was _wrong._ This had to be the Force telling him something, though what that might be, he didn't know. The Force could be awfully vague. This feeling of _wrongness_ could be something that would happen in the future, it could be something happening right now, or he could simply be standing in a spot where something terrible had happened though that was unlikely. He looked at his apprentice. "What do you sense?"

Jaesa Willsaam, new apprentice of Lord Vauner stopped walking and closed her eyes. "Fear… anger…. anticipation…. doubt." She muttered, wincing as she opened her eyes "But none of it is coming from the general population. It seems to be…contained."

Vauner nodded, he had sensed that as well. Unfortunately, he couldn't pinpoint _where_ the emotions were coming from. On reflection though, he was probably worried about nothing. _If there was a problem,_ Vauner thought,_ then it would have been sensed by the Council._ As much as the Sith enjoyed backstabbing each other, they usually avoided it becoming public. "Should we contact your master?" Jaesa asked, breaking his train of thought.

Vauner considered for a moment, it was tempting. Baras would know that he wouldn't make idle or unfounded statements and would likely have some advice. _Still, he does not need to know everything that troubles me._ Speaking to Jaesa, he answered, "No. If Baras felt something was off he would tell me. Besides," he added, "I don't think Baras deserves an update every time I feel uneasy."

Both of them walked towards a railing overlooking one of Dromund Kaas' many valleys. Jaesa, leaning on the railing, looked over at the newly appointed Sith Lord. "Perhaps he _can't_ sense it. Maybe none of them can."

Vauner crossed his arms. "Explain."

She hesitated, "You…are not like the other Sith Lords. You know this. It's why I agreed to help you." Vauner nodded, waiting for her to continue, "Most people who draw upon the Dark Side," she explained, "draw upon strong negative emotions. Pain, terror, rage-"

Vauner held up a hand, "You're partially correct. However the Sith draw power from _all_ emotions, not just negative ones. I draw power from my emotions of triumph and joy as well as pain and anger."

Jaesa turned to face him, pursing her lips "The _point_ is that the Sith have become desensitized to these emotions, they don't feel them unless they are actively trying to draw power from them."

"An interesting theory." Vauner mused, looking at her with interest, "I may have to look into it after this feeling pass-"

A red beam of light from the sky struck the building immediately behind them, completely destroying it. Within an instant the lightsabers of both master and apprentice were lit and ready. Time slowed down and sound became muted as Vauner fell deep within the Force as he did in every battle. He observed civilians running in terror, trying to avoid being crushed by the falling debris from the ruined building. He observed soldiers looking around in confusion, not knowing if they should start aiming or run for cover.

_There_.

His focus became on a man who was about to be crushed by one of the falling pieces. Without thinking he called upon the force and leapt towards the falling piece, meeting it in midair and kicking it away from the man. Without looking at the man he turned his attention upward. Within seconds he determined that only seven of the falling pieces would be fatal if they landed on someone. He raised his hands upward as if to catch the falling rocks.

Seven massive objects would be difficult for most Sith Lords. Luckily, he had help. "Jaesa!" He roared, hoping she would catch on. Luckily she seemed to. Sheathing her lightsaber she stretched out her hand. Not at the rocks though. At him.

The weight of the stones met his Force grip and the sheer weight and force of the falling stones drove him to his knees. _Jaesa_, he thought, _a little help would be nice_. The stones were falling slower now as he struggled to maintain a grip, but they would still be fatal if they hit anyone on the ground. Suddenly, he felt stronger, more rejuvenated. His grip on the stones became tighter as his energy came back. With a roar he forced himself to his feet and observed not just the massive stones, but most of the debris that had started to fall, suspended in midair.

Power flowing from him he used his regained strength and thrust his hands towards the valley he had overlooked just a minute before. The massive stones and most of the caught debris went over the side. He took a breath and time resumed at a normal speed as did all the sounds. He looked around for Jaesa and saw her standing in the same place, her eyes closed and hand still extended towards him. She must have felt his gaze because she opened her eyes and as she withdrew her hand, the surge of strength that had entered him vanished as well.

_Ah, _now he understood. Rather than try to help catch the rocks, she instead focused her power on augmenting his strength. _Very clever._ "Well done." He congratulated as he strode towards her. She didn't look well, she stumbled to the ground. Vauner quickly helped her up. "Jaesa," he commanded, looking into her brown eyes "_focus_." He put a small amount of force suggestion into the last word.

"Right…" she muttered, "right, sorry… that took…more out of me than I expected." Vauner led her over to a small bench.

"Sit here while-", The ground shook as another building within the city exploded. Vauner quickly regained his balance, not quite sure what he was witnessing. _An attack! Here, but who_? He didn't have much time to contemplate as another beam from the sky appeared and destroyed another building. Leaving Jaesa he ran over to four Imperial soldiers who seemed to be communicating with someone.

"Solider!" he ordered, "Status report! What's going on?" The ranking soldier, broke off with whoever he was communicating with and answered.

"Were not quite sure, my lord. There are reports of multiple strikes throughout the planet." Vauner was stunned.

"_Who_ is it? How did _no one_ know about this?" He demanded, his outrage growing. The soldier took a step back.

"N-no one has taken responsibility my lord." He stammered, "I know as much as you do!" Vauner glared at him for a few moments, then let his rage fade. It did no good to frighten men who were just doing their jobs and didn't know anything. He sighed.

"Suspend whatever orders you were given. Evacuate the buildings and get medical help to those who need it." The soldier saluted.

"At once my lord!" He answered, then the soldiers ran off to fulfill their orders. Vauner spun on his heel and pulled out his holocommunicator. As he was punching in the frequency the ground was shaken as more buildings were demolished. Now screams of pain and terror starting to echo through the district.

A few seconds later, an image of Malavai Quinn, personal officer to Lord Vauner appeared looking as professional as ever. "_My lord, is there something you needed_?"

"Not now, Quinn!" As efficient as Quinn was, he sometimes played the role of the implacable Imperial officer _too_ well. "Tell me why Kaas City is under bombardment!"

Quinn consulted a datapad he was holding, "_It seems that this was not entirely unexpected. Imperial Intelligence knew about these satellites, which they have dubbed 'eradicators'. They expected an attack, but didn't know if, or when it would be carried out." _Vauner stared at the blue image in disbelief.

"You're saying that they _knew_ this was coming and didn't _tell us_!" He demanded, seething, "What were they _thinking_!"

"_I cannot say, my lord_." Quinn answered, "_It seems as though Intelligence sent one of their agents to prevent this from happening, it appears that he has failed."_

"No kidding." Vauner muttered, as another blast shook the ground. "Do we have locations on these 'eradicators'?" Quinn looked at his datapad.

"_Yes, but they are just outside Dromund Kaas' AA guns and we only have supply ships or personal fighters. Reinfor-"_ Vauner waved him off.

"Send me coordinates of all the eradicator locations." He ordered, "Then patch me through to Vette."

"_Yes, my lord." _Quinn complied, "_Sending coordinates now_." Vauner nodded then shut off the holocommunicator, then tuned his earpiece in order to receive any incoming transmissions. Jaesa appeared to have recovered and rushed over to him.

"Ready, master." She said. Vauner nodded towards the center of the city.

"Most of the damage will be within the city. Let's go!" With that both of them charged into the heart of Kaas City.

* * *

_Dromund Kaas: Imperial Control_

"We have a lock!" The gunner shouted, trying to make himself heard over the flurry of voices calling out where the attacks were hitting.

"Apartment destroyed in sector 12!"

"Power grid targeted in sector 5!"

"Sith training grounds hit in sector 7!"

The officer gestured frantically at the gunner. "Take the shot!" The gunners adjusted their controls.

"Shot lined up." A gunner noted.

"Fire."

No one heard the shot, but all were anxiously awaited any information.

"Confirmed _kill_ on anomaly over sector 3!" An analyst shouted. A cheer went up in the command center. The officer grinned faintly.

"Good work, get me another shot _now_. The ships over the Citadel are your primary targets." The gunners immediately went to work. Her aide ran up to her, his face ashen. He stopped and saluted. "What is it?" she snapped, continuing to watch the planetary bombardment.

"Sir…" he swallowed, "New information from Imperial Intelligence confirms that similar attacks are happening throughout the Empire." The officer almost collapsed.

"Ho…how? How many? _Who…_" she whispered, grabbing the table for support. This was worse than her worst nightmare. One major planet _might_ survive an attack like this. Maybe two.

But not the entire Sith Empire.

"I…I don't know, sir. Intelligence doesn't know for certain." The aide answered her.

"How soon until the ships arrive?" She asked quietly.

"Thirty-five minutes."

Too long. It was too long. Dromund Kaas would be irreparably damaged within that time frame. Even if by some miracle the gunner targeted all the ships it wouldn't do any good.

She had to face the possibility that the Empire was finished.

* * *

_Dromund Kaas: Kaas City_

"_Hey, what's up? Quinn sounded worried, even more than usual."_

"Good to hear your voice, Vette." Vauner grunted as he raced through the streets, "Where are you? Are you safe?" There was a pause.

"_Safe enough, I'm on the ship. What's going on? No one will tell me anything!"_ Vauner spotted an eradicator within the clouds. A beam shot from it and destroyed the building to his right. He leapt, avoiding the debris with ease. _"Vauner!" _Vette screamed over the comm.

"I'm alright." Vauner reassured her as he landed, and saw that Jaesa had also survived intact. "There's someone attacking the planet, not sure who though. Anyway, listen! I need you to bring down the Fury." He winced picturing the shocked expression that was surely on her face right now.

"_What!"_

"You can do it! You've done it before!"

"_That was __**once,**_ _and that time you were helping me!"_

"Unfortunately, we don't have much choice." Vauner said slowly as he watched the eradicator. 'Call down the Fury' was a maneuver that involved high precision targeting, usually requiring that the pilot get within close proximity to the target. Vette had actually been the one who had given the maneuver its name. While it was highly effective, it was incredibly dangerous for a non-force user to perform.

However, Vauner considered Vette one of the few who could _possibly _do it. Not that there was much choice. "Vette, listen." He told her, "You're scared now, I get that. So am I, everyone is now. Don't avoid your fear though, _use_ it. Focus all your energy into the task. You _can_ do this, Vette. Trust me." There was a long silence.

"_Fine_!" Vette sighed angrily, _"But if I die, I'm going to haunt you!"_ Despite himself, Vauner grinned.

"I wouldn't expect anything less. Quinn will send you coordinates. Good luck, the Force will be with you." He clicked his earpiece off and turned to Jaesa.

"Is Vette coming?" Jaesa asked.

"Better." Vauner replied, with a grim smile, "She's going to bring down the Fury."


	3. Chapter 3

_Dromund Kaas: Imperial Intelligence Headquarters_

Keeper watched the hologram of Dromund Kaas, certain he was watching the fall of the Empire.

Even if by some miracle they managed to destroy the eradicators around the planet, the rest of the Empire was in even worse shape. Darth Marr had been appraised and had immediately instituted an Empire-wide state of emergency. Not that it mattered much. If the eradicators continued much longer there wouldn't be much of an Empire left.

"Keeper!" Watcher Three was sprinting over, "Watcher Two has made contact!'

Keeper spun around to face Watcher Three who immediately pulled out a holocommunicator. The image of Watcher Two appeared.

"Keeper send ships to these coordinates immediately! Darth Jadus is alive and behind the terrorist attacks! Cipher Nine is sabotaging the ship to prevent his escape." She exclaimed urgently, her face filled with worry.

"Acknowledged." Keeper replied, his mind spinning. The hologram of Watcher Two disappeared and Keeper jabbed a finger at Watcher Three. "Get me Marr _now_!"

* * *

_Dromund Kaas: The Sith Sanctum _

Darth Marr wasn't sure he had heard correctly.

"Darth Jadus is _alive_?"

"_Yes, my lord."_ The current Keeper of Imperial Intelligence answered curtly, _"It is imperative we act before more of the Empire is destroyed."_

"Agreed." Marr answered, He would deal with the soon-to-be former Minister of Intelligence's incompetence _after_ Jadus was apprehended. "I will order my ships to those coordinates immediately."

"_Excellent, my lord."_ Keeper replied, "_We will keep you apprised of any further developments."_ Marr nodded, though as he moved to cut the communication, he paused.

"You said one of your agents was sabotaging Jadus' ship. Who was it?"

"_Cipher Nine, my lord." _Keeper answered. Marr nodded.

"Good. Once we defeat Jadus, I will personally recognize his patriotic sacrifice." The image of Keeper seemed surprised at that.

"_Ah-my lord, Cipher Nine is not dead yet."_

"He will be." Marr told him grimly, "Once Jadus discovers his betrayal, he will kill him. And no mere man can stand against a member of the Dark Council, assumed dead or not." With that he cut the transmission and began contacting ships to order them to the coordinates Keeper had provided.

* * *

_Dromund Kaas: Kaas City_

There seemed to be a lull in the bombardment. Vauner and Jaesa were racing around the area, lifting large objects that had landed on soldiers and civilians and ordering the soldiers that were in the vicinity to fire on the eradicators, for whatever good that did.

"You should probably let Imperial Control know that Vette is piloting the _Marauder_." Jaesa grunted as she telekinetically lifted several pieces of debris off an Imperial soldier.

"Good point." Vauner acknowledged as he finished slicing through a wall to free some trapped merchants. Turning away, he clicked his earpiece. "Quinn, patch me through to Imperial Control."

"_Yes, my lord_." There was a brief pause.

"_This is Imperial Control, now is not a good time."_

"Understood," Vauner acknowledged, intending to keep this brief, "be advised that a _Fury_-class fighter, designation: _Marauder_, will be appearing on your sensor soon. That ship is under my command and I have asked the pilot to assist in the defense of the planet."

"_And just who are you?"_ The control officer snapped.

Imperial Control must be at their wits end, Vauner realized. No control officer would _ever_ speak to anyone in such a manner, let alone a Sith Lord. Given the circumstances though, Vauner was willing to overlook their insubordination.

"Lord Vauner, officer. Current apprentice to Darth Baras." There was a pause on the other end.

"_Ah-I apologize, my lord. The _Marauder_ will have unrestricted movement throughout Dromund Kaas._" The control officer stammered out quickly.

"Excellent. Lord Vauner out." He clicked off the earpiece. "She's clear now."

Jaesa nodded, looking up to where the eradicator was hovering. "Let's hope she gets here soon, I don't know how much longer we have."

* * *

_Korriban: Orbit_

"Another one of the ships is destroyed, sir."

"Excellent," Moff Drakin told the man directing the turrets, "How many are remaining?"

"Eleven, sir."

That statement took all the accomplishment that Drakin had been feeling out. True, it was a better situation that it had been earlier. Despite it being known as the "Homeworld of the Sith" Korriban was a surprisingly poorly defended planet. _Probably_, Drakin thought, _because they thought that no one would be stupid enough to attack this planet. Then again, _Drakin mused, _that's probably how the Republic felt during the Sacking of Coruscant._

Despite the first attacks taking place only about twenty minutes ago, the strange ships had caused a surprising amount of damage, probably due to the Sith Academy being a relatively small area. No one had detected the ships until they had started firing, then everyone quickly scrambled to locate them. Drakin had just launched the fighters a few minutes ago once all of the ships had been located.

The Sith on the planet seemed to be rallying as well. One of the gunners apparently witnessed one of the ships being crushed in the air and subsequently exploding. He expected that all the ships would be destroyed fairly quickly now that the fighters were launched. Still, he didn't know how he would explain this to the Sith, he'd be lucky to escape with his life.

Three more of the ships were confirmed destroyed. A junior officer ran up to him, "Sir, Darth Marr wishes to speak with you immediately." Drakin swallowed and nodded.

After the ships had started firing, he'd immediately informed the Dark Council. He hadn't expected a response this….soon though.

Drakin walked into the transmission room. The junior officer saluted and left as the image of Darth Marr appeared. Drakin immediately attempted to explain, "My lord, the situation is curr-"

"_I am not interested in excuses."_ Marr interrupted, _"Take your ship and travel to these coordinates. The ones responsible for this attack are there."_ Drakin tried, and failed to contain his surprise.

"Yes my lord, but Korriban…"

"_The Sith will defend Korriban_," Marr stated, "_As is our right."_

"Of course, my lord." Drakin hastily apologized, "We will depart immediately."

"_See that you do."_ Marr commanded, _"The Empire does not have much time left."_

* * *

_Dromund Kaas: Kaas City_

Vauner and Jaesa were coordinating with the few troops that were in the area when a dozen Imperial heavy weapons specialists stormed in and stopped before a surprised Vauner. "Long-range Heavy Weapons Battalion Zero-One-One." The ranking soldier declared, snapping off a salute, "Darth Baras thought you would need some assistance, my lord."

"Indeed." Vauner nodded, pleased, "Your name, soldier?"

"Sargent Norman, sir."

"Norman," Vauner ordered, "tell your men to set up and target the eradicator nearest to us."

"Eradicator, sir?"

"The name Imperial Intelligence has given to these ships."

"Of course. Do you have coordinates?"

"Right here." Vauner answered and Norman punched the coordinates into a targeting computer. While this exchange was taking place the rest of battalion was setting up large guided missile launchers.

"Ready?" Norman called out to the battalion.

"Nearly! We're having some trouble with the precision instruments!"

Vauner looked at Jaesa, "Can you help them?" She nodded, lowered her gray hood and kneeled on the ground. After a few moments her breathing became steady and even. He hoped she still had enough energy to provide some additional coordination. He didn't fully understand the technique or its limitations but it was one of the most useful uses of the Force that Vauner had encountered.

A few seconds later the air seemed to shimmer around her, similar to a heat wave. Norman studied her warily. "What is she doing?" He asked nervously.

Vauner watched with increasing confidence as the aura around Jaesa strengthened. It must have been taxing yet she seemed incredibly serene, eyes closed as her brown hair whipped around her face in the wind. Turning to Norman he answered his question.

"Helping you."

Norman seemed to accept that as he turned to the men manning the missile launchers. "Ready?" He shouted with far more energy than earlier.

"We have a lock!"

Norman thrust his hand towards the eradicator, "Fire at will!" He commanded. Six rockets fired simultaneously, something Vauner suspected wouldn't have happened if Jaesa hadn't been helping them. The rockets sped towards the eradicator, and as they did, Vauner closed his eyes and reached out with his hand and the Force. His senses enhanced to an unnatural degree, he felt the course of each rocket and with subtle nudges he ensured that each of them would collide with the eradicator.

He was rewarded seconds later when they collided with the ship in a spectacular explosion. With a roar of victory he watched as the flaming ship fell in pieces towards the surface of Dromund Kaas. _"Well done!"_ He roared, deep enough in the Force to not realize he was projecting his voice to unnatural degrees, _"We will destroy these invaders one ship at a time if need be! Come on!_ He didn't even have to look at where the closest eradicator was located he simply stopped and told Norman _"Coordinates: One-One-Five-Seven," _His voice rumbled, _"Blow it out of the sky."_ Norman nodded eagerly and turned to the troops setting up the missile launchers, "With pleasure my lord!"

Suddenly, Vauner felt a familiar presence. Smiling, he looked up and saw the _Marauder_ streaking across the sky. Vette had arrived, he clicked on his earpiece. _"Glad you finally made it_."

"_Ow!"_ The voice of Vette complained,_ "What's up with your voice? You nearly blew out my speakers!" _Vauner frowned, not comprehending…_Oh_. He quickly ended the voice projection he had unconsciously been doing.

"Sorry. You have a shot?"

"_Yup, got one coming up now!"_ The _Marauder _twisted in midair until it was on a direct course for the eradicator. Vauner could sense the soldiers worry, they feared she would collide.

But as the Force flowed through him, he knew without a doubt that she would hit her target.

"_On course!"_ she yelled, her voice strained, the _Marauder_ sped ever closer to the eradicator.

"_Three…"_ There was only a few dozen meters between the ships now.

"_Two…"_ Even closer now…

"_One!"_

"Fire." Vauner whispered.

On cue the _Marauder_ shot two torpedoes at near point-blank range and immediately went into a dive, barely missing the eradicator. The torpedoes collided and tore into the defenseless ship. Fire filled the air for a split second as another eradicator fell from the sky. Vauner smiled as he heard Vette whooping over the comm. "Good shot!" he told her as the _Marauder_ swooped overhead.

Inputting coordinates of another eradicator for Vette he turned, hearing the sounds of missiles being fired and saw Norman directing the fire at another eradicator. A few seconds later that one was also falling from the sky. Vauner looked at his datapad, searching for the nearest eradicator.

Feeling a grim determination he summoned a nearby troop transport. It wasn't nearly over but he felt the tide was turning.

They just might win this fight after all.


	4. Chapter 4

_Artus: Orbit_

"Exiting hyperspace….now!" The stars around the _Imperial-_Class ship, along with several other capital ships, returned to normal and Moff Drakin could clearly see the other capital ship.

"That's the ship. Open fire!" Green beams of light converged on the ship, immediately causing surface damage.

"The ship appears to have been damaged, sir!" One of the bridge crew called out. Drakin raised his eyebrow in surprise. Marr had mentioned that an agent was attempting to sabotage it but he didn't think he'd actually _succeed_.

"Cease fire and open a channel!" he ordered, preparing to address whoever was now in command of the ship.

"Channel open."

"Imperial ship _Dominator_ be advised that you are currently facing four capital ships, all fully armed and staffed. Power down your engines and weapons or be destroyed."

"_Imperial ship Homeworld, this is Cipher Nine of Imperial Intelligence."_ Drakins eyes widened.

"Get me a holo!",he snapped at the transmission officer, "And send a boarding party as well!" The officer nodded and a few seconds later the image of Cipher Nine appeared. To Drakins mild surprise and disgust he realized that the agent was a chiss. Even through the holo, he could tell that the man looked exhausted as he continued.

"_I have full control of the ship and am shutting down the eradicators now."_ He said wearily, as he typed something into a console off the visible range of the holo. _"Done. The eradicators will pull back now and shut down."_

"Imperial agent Cipher Nine, this is Moff Drakin." Drakin addressed the chiss, "We were told that the presumed dead Council Member Darth Jadus was aboard the ship, can you confirm?"

The chiss looked him in the eye, even from a holo Drakin felt a shiver as those eyes bored into him. _"I can confirm, yes."_ Cipher Nine answered.

"_He's dead."_

"I…I see." Drakin managed after losing his voice for a few seconds, "Just _how_ did he die?"

"_I killed him."_

Moff Drakin could only stare in shock. Force-users seemed unbeatable in combat. Sure, even the most powerful would fall to sheer numbers eventually. But he had always believed that the only being who could defeat a force-user in single-combat was another force-user. It simply wasn't possible that _one_ man, and an alien for that matter, was able to defeat supposedly the most powerful member of the Dark Council.

But that was a matter for another time.

"…Good work." Drakin said finally, "I'm sure the Dark Council will reward you for your service to the Empire." The chiss grimaced at the statement.

"_Perhaps. I will see soon, I suppose. Cipher Nine out."_

* * *

_ Dromund Kaas: Imperial Control_

"Unbelievable." The officer said, shaking her head as another ship vanished from the hologram. "That sith is single-handedly changing the tide." That wasn't to say that the gunners had been idle, they had taken out two more ships as well and she could now say that it seemed as though the Citadel was safe.

"Do you have a lock on the next one?" She asked the gunner.

"Nearly." He answered. She nodded.

"Are you updating Lord Vauner on ship locations?" She asked an analyst.

"I'm in constant contact with his assistant." She replied, "He is passing all relevant information onto Lord Vauner."

"Good." If they survived this she would see to it that he got a medal or whatever the highest commendation she was authorized to give. Heck, she'd give everyone here today medals as well.

Hold on. What was this?

"Sir…the ships are heading into the upper atmosphere."

"Target now out of range." The gunner called.

"Confirmed: Ships are in retreat over sectors thirteen, seventeen and twenty!"

Sure enough, all the ships were heading into the atmosphere and didn't seem to be stopping. Could they have won?"

"The ships are powering down, sir. Repeat: the enemy ships have powered _down_."

The officer smiled and relief overtook her as cheers and whoops rocked the command center. They had done it.

They had won.

* * *

_Dromund Kaas: Kaas City_

Vauner stared up at the retreating eradicators more puzzled than relieved.

"Why would they leave?" he wondered out loud. Jaesa stood by him. Shivering, Vauner noted, somewhat concerned. She had seemingly reached the limits of her abilities and Vauner had not wanted to push her any farther. Now it seemed that he wouldn't have to.

"Do...does it matter?" She asked, teeth chattering as she hugged herself.

"No…" Vauner relented, "I suppose not. But it still doesn't make any sense."

"I wo…wouldn't worry ab…about that. Baras will pro…probably have answers so…soon."

"You need rest." He said, facing her, "You performed exceptionally today. I'm proud of you."

"Th…thank you, Master."

Both of them boarded a troop transport. "Take us to Imperial Hanger two-two-zero." Vauner instructed the pilot. As the transport flew through Kaas City, through the destruction wrecked by the eradicators Vauner knew that, no matter who was behind the attack or why, one thing was certain.

The Empire would never be the same again.

* * *

_Authors Note: And there it is, my first published piece of writing. Funny story, I had actually intended this to be a prologue to another story I'm working on now. Anyway, about halfway through I was editing it and was thinking "This is way to long to be a prologue." So I just decided to have it be a stand alone story. Overall, I'm satisfied with how it turned out. If you agree or disagree, please let me know. Oh, and thanks for reading!_


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